Beautiful Liar
by strawberry.ragdoll
Summary: [SnapexLily] SPOILERS There's a backstory for everything... What people don't know is how deep it goes.


Severus Snape was not a particularly notable little boy. If anything, he was a little on the skinny side, with too-long, too-greasy hair, but still quite childlike. Sometimes, when adults would look into his eyes, they'd get the shivers when they realized that he was too mature, too cynical for this young of a child. All his "innocent" questions seemed polite but had an undertone that would make older people stop and wonder later on.

The only thing that really made him more than this was the girl he was always with.

There wasn't a single person who didn't absolutely love Lily, save sometimes her older sister. She was charming and pure, not to mention beautiful (which is quite remarkable for her age, as most girls simply hit the "cute" mark), and gave off the false demeanor of being helpless. She was always wearing clean clothes suitable of her age, and all her questions seemed pointless and meaningless. Severus was the only one to think differently. It was odd, that two people would so different would get on so well, but after they got to know each other, they were absolutely inseparable.

"Does your mommy love you?" the redhead swished a sucker around her mouth.

Severus nearly fell off his swing and looked at Lily with a confused expression. It wasn't like her to spring a question like that for no reason. After thinking for a short while, he replied, "Why are you asking?" There was caution in his voice.

Lily replied in a sing-song voice. "My daddy says your daddy drinks a lot and people hear lots of yelling from your house." For such a dark subject, she seemed extremely unphased, stretching her legs out in front of her and reaching for the tips of her toes with one hand while keeping herself steady on the swing with another.

It was quiet for a moment. Severus drew a little figure in the sand with his bare toes. "I don't know. I don't think anyone really loves me."

His companion merely pulled her sucker out, examined it, and then popped it back in. "I love you. If your mommy doesn't, then I'll love you enough for the both of us."

It was a childish confession, Snape knew it, but it didn't stop the rosy blush from tinting his cheeks. "I guess…" he muttered. "I don't think I believe you, though."

This made Lily indignant. "Hey, I wouldn't lie to you! I just said I loved you!" She pouted, taking her sucker out. "Look, I'll pinky-promise you. We'll be best friends forever."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what."

.--.

"Snape, just… go away."

"Lily, please, just listen to me."

"Stay away! James is going to be home soon! If he finds you here, I swear I can't promise that you'll be safe. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now."

"This isn't for the Dark Lord!"

"My goodness, you're even calling him 'Lord' now? Listen to yourself talk! I don't want to hear anything you have to say to me!"

"What happened to best friends?"

"I don't know, somewhere in between you calling me a mudblood and becoming a Death Eater, I think that just sort of fell apart."

"You don't understand, there's so much you don't know about…"

"Maybe if you actually told me, I would! It was always secrets with you, you never told me what was going on in that head of yours. How can I trust you now, Snape?"

"…You've never called me Snape."

"It seemed like a good time to start."

"…You have a child now."

"Odd conversation topic, but yes, I do. Now please, please, just go on your way or I'll have to report all this to the order."

"Lily…"

"What is it now?"

"Come away with me."

"…"

"The Dark Lord's going to come for you, we all know he is. I can bring you to safety and hide you away for a while. I swear I know how to do it, all you'd have to do is say the word and you'll be safe with your son."

"And what of James?"

"What of him?"

"See, Severus? This is why we can't be friends."

"But you called me by name."

"…"

"Lily… I lo-"

And that's when she slammed the door in his face.

.--.

"Why do you hate Harry so much?" a certain pale-faced blonde boy had stayed behind after potions, not bothering to be discreet about his motives at all. Draco's question was too obvious. He was trying to make it out to be throwaway, something he didn't care about, but Snape could tell he was sweating over the answer.

Severus' expression didn't change a bit. "Why do you?"

The young Malfoy tried hard not to let his face flush. "He's an idiot. He hasn't got a proper family and his Quidditch skills are poor; everybody thinks he's so great but he's not, really, when you think about it."

"I don't think you dislike him as much as you're trying to make it sound like." Snape looked intimidating. "Sounds almost like… admiration."

"Me? Admire _that_ filth?" He had an over-rehearsed shocked and disdainful face painted on. Draco thought about it for a minute. "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't hate him. I care for all my students equally." And Severus' replies were always like that; they seemed like something witty, but you could never tell for his ever-carefully blank face. He kept inside what he was burning to scream – _"I hate him for not being __**my**__ child!"_ It wouldn't make sense to anyone he told it too, but it lay there, simmering and spitting. It wasn't supposed to be _James_ marrying her, it wasn't him that was supposed to be smiling at the wedding pictures.

Draco left without a word after he saw the look on Snape's face. He just quietly picked up his books to leave Snape with his thoughts.

Truth be told, Severus didn't really want to be left alone at the moment. All he could think of was that day long ago.

"_We'll be best friends forever."_

"_No matter what?"_

"_No matter what."_

And then a cynical smile, so much like the one he often wore when he was younger, made its way onto his face.

_Liar._


End file.
